A New Printable Planner: Getting Ready for 2014

One more day of 2013, you guys…are you making resolutions for the new year? I’ve been thinking about goals and challenges for 2014 for several weeks now.  I know many people that don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but I do and here’s why: I love a fresh start.  Who doesn’t?? And yes, its true that every season, every month, every day is a fresh start if you really think about it and new goals can be applied at any of those times, but the New Year is the ultimate fresh start.  Its a great time to look back over the whole last year and decided what worked and what didn’t.  Its a great time to tie up the loose ends of the old year and ring in the new one having tucked the old one away.  This year, much more than last, I feel like I need to tidy up every nook and cranny…set lots of goals, challenge myself, and plan for great things.  I’m excited for 2014…ready and excited.

One of my most pinned posts is from over a year ago when I posted about a 6-week plan I made for myself.  Planned to a T my lessons for school, meals, projects, and all the extras in between.  It worked like a charm and I’m doing that again starting January 1.  I redid my planner again because lives change and your planners need to change with you.  Here’s how I have my planner organized now:

Learning Well LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links from Amazon or other programs are used on this website. For more info, please refer to our disclosure statement.

Month-by-month section: I have tabbed off each month. (well actually I don’t, but I need to make a run to Office Max.) On the first page there’s an overview of the month with important holidays, etc.  I designed these myself and I’m kinda proud of myself for completing this project without throwing my computer over the balcony. Yay me!  I usually have a list of goals/projects I want to accomplish each month: organize kids clothes, finish photo books, etc.  On the backside of each calendar is a goal sheet for each month.

After the goals is a page for blogging and organizing my posts.  I always do this in pencil, but I need a place to keep post ideas organized or I will inevitably forget.  This is a common problem for me, hence the newly organized planner.

Lastly in each month’s section and perhaps the most important (?) is the weekly at-a-glance pages.  I can see my whole week all laid out and there’s a place for notes as well.  This is the sacred spot for my daily to-do list….the place where things are written and 40% of them get accomplished.  The place where I come to everyday to reconcile the fact that 40% is better than 0% and I grab a board book with Vera and call it a day.  Amen.

Menu Section: I have been really bad about planning meals…again.  For me this means I’m sniffing under tin foil in my fridge at 5:35pm.  To throw in another wrench to my non-meal-planniness, we’ve decided to hop back on the Paleo train in a big way this year which requires 5x the planning.  This all gives me anxiety.  Bad.  In fact, I’m starting to perspire as we speak.  Perspiring=plan must be made.  So here’s what I did again, just like the first successful 6-week plan.  I chose 12 meals to have for dinner over the course of 6 weeks and we’ll rotate those.  I have a combination of crockpot meals, low prep meals, and medium-level prep meals.  I have also planned in a prep day over the weekend so I can whip up bread, snacks, and salad dressings for the week.  So back to the planner…I have my 12 meals and also a menu chart for each week to fill in for lunch and dinner.

Notes section: This is kind of a broad section and there’s a lot of random going on in there, but who cares, cos its my planner and I can do what I want.  (Was that overly sassy for the subject matter? Yes? Ok, sorry.)  So in here I have a list of books I want to read in 2014, blank paper for lists and notes, reading lists for the kids, ideas, and other randomness.  But at least I know if it doesn’t fall under monthly or weekly to-do’s or a meal subject, its in there.

Addresses: Well, there’s addresses.

I am so ready to start my new 6-week plan–lessons, meals, to-dos, projects all ready.  All this prettiness is in a regular 8.5x11in. binder.  Its a linen binder I’ve had for years, but you can find a similar one HERE.  The only thing I don’t like about it is the lack of pockets in the front and back.  But I ordered THESE to solve that issue.

But I need to tell you the most fun part! YOU can have one of these handy dandy planners too! I have never offered a downloadable product on my blog before, so bear with me…I know you will.  For 5 bucks you can print this planner to your hearts desire and get yourself a little New Years organization goin’ on.  Doesn’t that sound like fun!?! If you’d like to purchase a printable planner add it to your cart by clicking the button below and follow the instructions.

**UPDATE** The planner has been discounted to $1 through the end of 2014!